In Episode 101, our guest is Uri (pronounced OOO-ree) Lavi, CEO of Ride.Vision. You may remember me talking about BMW Motorrad prototyping a motorcycle alert system intended to warn riders of approaching vehicles a few episodes back. Uri and Ride.Vision have developed a similar system, but one which can be installed on any motorcycle, whether it be during initial factory assembly or by the rider who wants such a system on their bike.
Visit Ride.Vision at their website and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
I’d like to ask you for a favor real quick. BMW MOA, Movember and the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride have teamed up with the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences to study and improve the mental health of motorcyclists. What I need you to do is answer their anonymous survey – 10 minutes or less of your time. If you want to be entered into a drawing to win a cool jacket, you can give them your email address, but you’re under no obligation to do so. Thanks for your help with this initiative!
There’s shakeup in the works at Polaris, parent company of Indian Motorcycle. CEO Scott Wine has quit and is moving on to run a company which makes large agricultural vehicles (think harvesters and combines). Elsewhere in the motorcycle industry, Suzuki is following Kawasaki’s lead and spinning off its motorcycle/ATV division into a separate company, which will be headquartered in the USA.
On the new bike front, both BMW and Honda announced new cruiser models, perhaps with an eye towards taking a chunk out of Harley-Davidson’s market share. Rumors are BMW’s bagger/touring R 18 variant will be called the Transcontinental, but those are just rumors right now. The name, that is, not the bike. Honda says their new Rebel 1100 will cost just $9,999 and be available in January 2021. It uses the engine from the Africa Twin, so it should be an interesting bike! (PS Honda is also working on a way to control your motorcycle with your brain. Not kidding.)
Electric scooters are all the rage these days, apparently. BMW showed off their Definition CE 04 concept bike, Yamaha is putting out the super cute e-Vino, and it looks like Aprilia will have its own electric scooter, the eSR1, in the near future.
Royal Enfield’s chief says they won’t have an electric motorcycle until maybe 2024, but in the meantime, Kawasaki is developing a hybrid motorcycle which looks to have both electric and gas-powered engines on board. Now that is some cool technology!
There will be at least one more episode out before the end of 2020; Episode 102 will feature Erin Sills, a land speed record seeker and frankly, something of a towering giant in the world of women’s motorcycling.
Please take the time to visit the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America and consider joining to help keep Chasing the Horizon going. Another option: If you’re a BMW rider (or BMW curious) and have never been an MOA member before, drop me an email to [email protected] and I’ll enter you into a drawing for a free one-year membership (US residents only – sorry). I’m giving away two memberships in December and you could be a lucky winner!
